Just a Thought,
The Super Bowl

I am not a sports fan in the traditional sense, meaning Idon’t feel compelled to watch every game of any team I support. I’m more like
an absent-minded admirer. I claim the Baltimore Ravens as my team, not because
I can’t wait to tune in every Sunday or because I love football but because my
regional proximity dictates my fandom. For me the most important part of why I
like a team is personality, so the Ravens fit that category. I’m pretty
committed to them at this point so I have no plans to jump ship.

Growing up, I learned about sports through osmosis. My Dad,
a fan of all sports, held the TV hostage all day Saturday and Sunday so I was
familiar with teams and players and can even remember names of popular players
from the 80s even now. We weren’t allowed to watch much TV in the Jefferson
household so I had to find my connection to sports or just read a book. After
so many hours of reading I’d need a respite so to the living room I would go.
Initially I couldn’t get into it so I’d start paying attention to the fans, to
the vendors hawing their wares, to the cheerleaders and the facial expression
of the coaches. Meanwhile the game is happening but I’m focused on the
extraneous stuff.

When we watch a game it’s a whole production. There are
aerial views, bench close-ups, slow-mo and literal field-level shots—the
works! The various forms of production
are story-telling tools and believe you me, if you don’t know much about
football like this girl here (thumb to chest) then all the extraneous stuff is
important.

I’ve been live-tweeting the Super Bowl (read: homework
procrastination) and most of my comments have been about the commercials.
Before the game started I was pumped because the Seattle Seahawks (my vote
since Ravens are out) hit the field to The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet
Symphony”. I felt like my choice to vote Seahawks was solidified by
choosing this song rather than the generic-sounding rock song we’ve all heard a
million times that is probably a classic but has lost its edge in the world of
sports. Phew, if I tried to read that out loud I’d have lost my breath. So in a
nutshell, love The Super Bowl for almost everything but football, although a
good touchdown can shiver my timbers. Now I’m going to abandon ship to watch
Shameless. Lata!